# eReaders



## Phantom (Oct 17, 2011)

I was thinking of buying one. I read sooo much and right now my truck has a mini library in it and is wasting space. Plus books are expensive and I hate using libraries because I always forget to return the books. An eReader would be so much better. I've used a Kindle before and it was good and I liked it, are there any you would suggest?


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## nastypass (Oct 17, 2011)

I would be lost without my Kindle.  I live in the middle of nowhere, so my local library doesn't have a lot of books, and the closest bookstore was a) half an hour away, and b) Borders, so its usefulness just skyrocketed for me.

I've got the old 3G version (now known as Keyboard 3G) and it works brilliantly.  Haven't heard too much about the newer versions, apart from the Fire, which hasn't come out yet.  I think opal got one of them, so he'll probably know a bit more on that front.


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## Phantom (Oct 17, 2011)

Yeah I'm reading Water for Elephants on my mom's Kindle that I "borrowed". I like it... I think it's the 2010 model? Not sure. I like it... I never thought I would. I am a book fan... nothing beats the smell and feel of a book; you know?


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## Dannichu (Oct 17, 2011)

Libararies > anything, ever. A fine here and there is nothing compared to being able to borrow just about any book ever (surely small libraries will order books in for you?), free. Lots of libraries nowadays have services where you'll get emails/text messages when your loan period's nearly up, and even if they don't, you can mark the due dates on your calendar or something.

(I'm not being especially helpful, I know, but _libraries_ aaaahhh <3)


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## goldenquagsire (Oct 17, 2011)

Dannichu said:


> Libararies > anything, ever. A fine here and there is nothing compared to being able to borrow just about any book ever (surely small libraries will order books in for you?), free. Lots of libraries nowadays have services where you'll get emails/text messages when your loan period's nearly up, and even if they don't, you can mark the due dates on your calendar or something.
> 
> (I'm not being especially helpful, I know, but _libraries_ aaaahhh <3)


This, so much. Not everyone has the cash to throw on an e-reader. Books never run out of energy and they're less likely to get stolen.

It seems kind of inevitable that dead tree books will slowly die out, but I for one will miss them. :(


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## Phantom (Oct 17, 2011)

I love the library too, but mine is so small and there's this creepy guy there that scares me.... Plus an eReader is smaller and would be a better choice overall.


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## Saith (Oct 17, 2011)

I use a Kindle 3G.
It's small, slim, doesn't hurt your eyes, stores a fuckton of books and allows you to get them instantly.
The same can be said about any ereader, though, so.

The Kindle's directly connected to Amazon, though, so you don't need to go through the effort of converting them/compatibility issues.


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## Tailsy (Oct 17, 2011)

One of my uni friends uses a Kindle and they're pretty sweet. You can download the classics (or rather, anything out of copyright) for free, so they're really useful in that regard if that's what you're into. Personally I prefer actual books because I like the feeling of writing notes in them and bending the pages and cracking the spines (basically everything most English majors HATE, I adore), but Kindles are pretty cool and I actually quite liked using it.

Libraries are great too! I love the one in Edinburgh <3


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## opaltiger (Oct 17, 2011)

goldenquagsire said:


> This, so much. Not everyone has the cash to throw on an e-reader. Books never run out of energy and they're less likely to get stolen.
> 
> It seems kind of inevitable that dead tree books will slowly die out, but I for one will miss them. :(


The Kindle basically never runs out of power, too. :P

I don't think eReaders will ever completely replace books. They're fine for casual reading, but if you're doing any sort of serious work that requires rapid flipping back and forth, it gets tedious quickly. I only gave in after I realised it simply wasn't feasible for me to store as many books as I tend to read.


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## goldenquagsire (Oct 17, 2011)

opaltiger said:


> The Kindle basically never runs out of power, too. :P
> 
> I don't think eReaders will ever completely replace books. They're fine for casual reading, but if you're doing any sort of serious work that requires rapid flipping back and forth, it gets tedious quickly. I only gave in after I realised it simply wasn't feasible for me to store as many books as I tend to read.


That seems reassuring. :D

Problem is, at York they want to make everything paperless so they're distributing ebooks and PDFs rather than telling people to get stuff out of the library. I can't stand reading a lot of text (like, 20+ pages) on a screen and I don't have an ereader so I just print everything off, thus defeating the entire point.


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## Aisling (Oct 17, 2011)

I saw this thread on the index and thought we were talking about





:[

that being said I really hope eReaders don't replace books, because I really like books. They're nice to look at on a shelf, they're nice to hold, they smell nice... I've never actually tried an eReader but I can't imagine it being much nicer than browsing tumblr on my iPod or something. And that's only sort of okay when I'm feeling too lazy to get my laptop out. Eh.


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## opaltiger (Oct 17, 2011)

> I've never actually tried an eReader but I can't imagine it being much nicer than browsing tumblr on my iPod or something.


That is what I thought until I actually tried a Kindle. They are _nothing_ like reading things on more conventional screens.


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## Zora of Termina (Oct 17, 2011)

Alraune said:


> I saw this thread on the index and thought we were talking about
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This.

Anywho, I don't own one. But then I wouldn't much like to, there's just something about a book that technology can't replicate.


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## Flareth (Oct 17, 2011)

I also thought we were talking about the GBA thing. xD

My mom has oneand it's pretty cool....and I ocassionally read previews of books online. I prefer actual books though. I'm angry about these electronic books...it caused Borders to go out of business around here. D:


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## Dannichu (Oct 18, 2011)

Plus, I would never take a Kindle or anything to the beach (where I do all my reading in summer) for fear of getting sand all in it.

Though I guess Kindles and such have the advantage of a backlight, so you can continue reading even when your housemates don't feed the electricity metre and all your lights go out. 

(why yes, I have been thinking about the pros and cons all day)


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## opaltiger (Oct 18, 2011)

They don't have a backlight. That's the point; backlit screens are awful to read on and strain your eyes. The Kindle screen genuinely looks as much like paper as I imagine a screen ever can.


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## Shoe (Oct 18, 2011)

You do not necessarily have to buy an eReader. I have a nook for PC app on my computer. My library system allows users to check out eBooks and download them onto their computer or Ipod and that way I can get around due dates and the price of buying a hard copy. I also use Nook for PC to rent text books for college.


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## Saith (Oct 18, 2011)

I love my kindle because I travel all over Britain pretty often.
They're great on trains because... Well, for obvious reasons. You can have your whole library on your kindle and it takes up less room than an actual book.
It's kind of like having an iPod but for books. :D

(Also, yes, they're pretty easy to break. D: My dog stepped on mine, and it kind of broke. Got it replaced for free, though. :3 )


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## Chickensanity (Nov 3, 2011)

I bought a Kindle recently to replace my rubbish e-book reader (could only read text files. Converting files to text had... bad results. On top of that, it loved freezing.) The Kindle is incredible, and you can get free e-books from the Amazon Kindle store too. It was definitely worth purchasing.


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## spaekle (Nov 10, 2011)

If you want an e-ink screen: a Kindle's great, if you want something cheaper then I had a little Sony one with a touch screen that worked just fine (and it reads epub documents, which I don't believe the Kindle can do). 

If you want one of those new LCD readers that are trying too hard to be tablets: just save up for a tablet and get the ereader apps. The only real advantage to buying one of these over a tablet is the cost. :|


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## nastypass (Nov 14, 2011)

technosexual said:


> If you want one of those new LCD readers that are trying too hard to be tablets: just save up for a tablet and get the ereader apps. The only real advantage to buying one of these over a tablet is the cost. :|


Even then, you should still get a Kindle.  :D


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## Abwayax (Nov 14, 2011)

This is why I will always prefer real books. But if that doesn't bother you then at least get an actual tablet and install an ebook app on it. An "ebook reader" is just a crippled version of an ordinary tablet, anyways.


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## opaltiger (Nov 14, 2011)

Adrian Malacoda said:


> This is why I will always prefer real books. But if that doesn't bother you then at least get an actual tablet and install an ebook app on it. An "ebook reader" is just a crippled version of an ordinary tablet, anyways.


You've clearly never actually used an ebook reader. Reading ebooks on a tablet is no different to reading ebooks on a computer screen. Reading ebooks on an ebook reader actually feels like reading a book.


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## Abwayax (Nov 15, 2011)

opaltiger said:


> Reading ebooks on an ebook reader actually feels like reading a book.


Except for the part where the books are disappeared, I take it.

Yeah, I suppose they had the legal right to do so, but that doesn't change the fact that while books are owned, ebooks are merely licensed/leased/rented/what have you.


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## opaltiger (Nov 15, 2011)

Adrian Malacoda said:


> Except for the part where the books are disappeared, I take it.
> 
> Yeah, I suppose they had the legal right to do so, but that doesn't change the fact that while books are owned, ebooks are merely licensed/leased/rented/what have you.


Yes, I realise that's an issue, but it's not what I was talking about. I was saying that if you want to get an ebook reader, _don't_ get a general tablet because they're terrible for it.


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## Tarvos (Nov 15, 2011)

Or, here's an idea, I'm going to read a book.

Shock, horror.


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## opaltiger (Nov 15, 2011)

Tarvos said:


> Or, here's an idea, I'm going to read a book.
> 
> Shock, horror.


It really doesn't help coming into a discussion about whether tablets or ebook readers are better and helpfully informing us all that hey, books are also an option. If we're talking about ebooks at all, I think it's safe to say we have excluded books as a possibility!


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## Tarvos (Nov 15, 2011)

Ebook readers are better, but to me it's always going to feel like a replica of holding a real solid book made of paper in your hands. I find reading on an eReader confusing. The only advantage I can see is that you carry an entire library with you everywhere, but, really, are you ever going to read all of that in one go? I don't think that's a trivial question, sorry. I can see people needing an e-reader on a long haul flight or something too (when it's impractical to carry a huge stack of books for space reasons). 

But how often do you really come across those situations? I just can't see myself buying an eReader (or for that matter a tablet, although my parents own an iPad I guess?) and actually using it. Unless I decide to fly to New Zealand now (and even then I'd probably just bring the books) or have to move out and can't bring my entire bookcase with me, it's just easier for me to grab a book and read it.

It's the same thing with using .pdf files as replacements for books as course material. Sure, it's invariably cheaper, but it's not like I don't have the cash to spend on course materials, and I can seclude myself much better to study if I just have the book separately. Reading on a computer is just distracting.

I'm sure people like them, and I'd always go for an eReader over a tablet, but really, I think the question why is warranted.


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## bulbasaur (Nov 16, 2011)

Tarvos said:


> I'm sure people like them, and I'd always go for an eReader over a tablet, but really, I think the question why is warranted.


- Cost: Usually, e-reader books are a few dollars cheaper than the physical copy, so that if you had, say, fifty books on your e-reader, you've saved more than enough to make the purchase worth it.

- Space: Not everyone has the space to store a few thousand books, and not everyone will dedicate two large rooms to do that.

- Organization: Try looking for your copy of _Orlando_ amongst your library of 5000 books. Or, try searching for the book that contains the phrase "In the 1920's, Chicago alone had more than 1,300 street gangs, catering to every ethnic, political, and criminal leaning imaginable"

- Built-in dictionary: Some models have this, and it's a huge help.

- Very little maintenance: As a library page, I know how much work it takes to maintain even a few small bookshelves. There's the dusting, the tidying, the rebinding. And don't let me get started about mold. If you're not careful, mold will spread across to other books with an impossible speed. There's really not much to maintain on an eReader.

What I do like about books is how you can flip pages quickly, and the smell of them.


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## Tarvos (Nov 16, 2011)

I never have trouble finding my books.


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## goldenquagsire (Nov 16, 2011)

> It's the same thing with using .pdf files as replacements for books as course material. Sure, it's invariably cheaper, but it's not like I don't have the cash to spend on course materials, and I can seclude myself much better to study if I just have the book separately. Reading on a computer is just distracting.


I hate this as well, but the solution I came up with is to invest in a printer and just print off all the pdfs we're given and read/make notes on the paper copies. :P



> - Cost: Usually, e-reader books are a few dollars cheaper than the physical copy, so that if you had, say, fifty books on your e-reader, you've saved more than enough to make the purchase worth it.


Second-hand books are even cheaper...


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## Tarvos (Nov 16, 2011)

Printing costs a fortune in paper though.

Anyway. Ebooks.


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## Dannichu (Nov 16, 2011)

All my books are alphabetised by author's surname (I also alphabetise my CDs by artist and DVDs by title of show). And if I had enough non-fiction books to arrange them by dewey-decimal classification, I'd totally do that, too :p 

Second-hand books are usually between £1-3 in charity shops, and you can get a whole ton of books off Amazon for 1p, plus P&P.

And I really dislike .pdfs because I can't highlight and make annotations all over them like I can physical copies! I also don't like spending money printing things. So I mostly ask my lecturers really, really nicely and they print stuff off for me :3


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## opaltiger (Nov 16, 2011)

goldenquagsire said:


> Second-hand books are even cheaper...


Depends where you get them! Most second hand bookshops I see sell books for around four quid or so, which isn't much different from ebook pricing.

Anyway, I agree books are much easier when you're studying (you can flip back and forth between sections easily, it's easier to annotate, and so on), but for novels ebooks are fine. Plus I tend to read three or more books simultaneously so it's nice not to have to carry them around.


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## Hiikaru (Nov 18, 2011)

Adrian Malacoda said:


> This is why I will always prefer real books. But if that doesn't bother you then at least get an actual tablet and install an ebook app on it. An "ebook reader" is just a crippled version of an ordinary tablet, anyways.


I don't really mind about losing books someday! I have them _now_, and they're not that expensive, and lots are free, and I'm not especially bothered by the idea of paying to _rent_ a thing for a long time instead of owning it forever. I probably bought a book because I want to read it, and so I do read it! So it's not like the money just went down the drain. It's like paying to rent a game instead of buying the game. It's fine.

I would prefer if the DRM weren't a thing (and I hope they'll work on it and think of creative ways to prevent stealing but still allow other things!), but I'm not going to stop liking reading on a Kindle because of it.

I really don't want an e-reader application on a thing that's not designed specifically to read books, either. The point of a Kindle is that its design is special to make it comfortable to read wherever you are (unlike a paper book, and unlike a phone or a tablet), including allowing you to use one hand (and either hand) to read, and having a not-lit screen so that you don't hurt your eyes.

Also, what does it mean when it says a book is forever tied to a single Kindle...? That's inaccurate, the book is trapped with your _Amazon account_, not with your Kindle. My Kindle and also my Mom's Kindle are attached to her Amazon account, and so she can give books she buys to me and also have them. You can switch Amazon accounts, too.

I'm not being swindled, and I don't think anyone else is, either - you can know all about the DRM before buying anything, so no one's swindling you, they're just selling a product with restrictions that you're not very happy with.



Tarvos said:


> Ebook readers are better, but to me it's always going to feel like a replica of holding a real solid book made of paper in your hands. I find reading on an eReader confusing. The only advantage I can see is that you carry an entire library with you everywhere, but, really, are you ever going to read all of that in one go? I don't think that's a trivial question, sorry. I can see people needing an e-reader on a long haul flight or something too (when it's impractical to carry a huge stack of books for space reasons).
> 
> But how often do you really come across those situations? I just can't see myself buying an eReader (or for that matter a tablet, although my parents own an iPad I guess?) and actually using it. Unless I decide to fly to New Zealand now (and even then I'd probably just bring the books) or have to move out and can't bring my entire bookcase with me, it's just easier for me to grab a book and read it.
> 
> ...


I'm not going to read my entire Kindle library all at once, no, but you're thinking too big. Even if I only read one book, the Kindle won't get bent and ruined from being carried with me, and it's smaller than most books I want to read! (and way way smaller than some books I'd like to read - there are some really good ones I can't take with me ever because they're just too bulky) I can put it in my vest pocket, and zip the pocket up. I can't do that with a book, it would get smashed up and ruined, or, at best, just not fit. Plus, once you get to reading _more than_ one book, it becomes increasingly convenient with each book you read. And you don't always read all the way through every single book, it's really nice to be able to flip through one and decide to swap books, or lend or show your Kindle to someone, or check up on something!

Plus, why are you only seeing someone taking lots of books on an airplane? I would've _loved_ to take a big stack of books (or at least more than _one_) to school with me every day, and I really like taking my Kindle to restaurants or to the store or wherever I go without thinking about which book I want with me and making sure it's one I'll want to be reading the whole time! Or even if I'm just at home, it's a lot more convenient. I don't even own that many books, and I still can't _find_ anything. You said that you can always find your book, but understand that that's the exception in people, not the rule. I buy books so I can stop getting them at the library and then... lose them. It's really annoying that there are some books I actually own, but they're lost - and I can't find a Kindle copy!! All books need an e-reader version why isn't there one help.

It doesn't feel like a replica, anyway, it just feels easy to hold! I like reading paper books as much as anyone else (it's flippy and papery and fits!), but I actually mostly like reading on my Kindle _better_. I hate squirming around trying to find a comfortable way to hold my book in bed (there is _no_ comfortable way to read a paper book in bed!!) and I always want to lie on my side but then I can't turn pages. I _would_ really like flipping capability (like opal said) - even if I'm reading a novel, lots of times I want to flip back a few pages to check what someone said, or I want to check when the chapter ends so I can put the book down and go to bed. But mostly I'm happy reading on a Kindle!

What's confusing about an e-reader for you? Which ones have you tried that were confusing? The Kindle is honestly really straight-forward, up and down to search books, right and left to flip pages! The control pad is annoyingly small so that it's hard to use (and they don't appear to be doing anything to fix it), but that's not _confusing_, it just really hurts your hand to play minesweeper.

I didn't actually like my Kindle very much at first - I got it as a graduation present, played with it a tiny bit, and let it sit in a bag on the floor for a few weeks. I can't remember what bothered me about it, though, I think mostly I was just skeptical and didn't really give it a chance. Also, for the record, multiple people have told Dad "nah, I like real books," and he handed them his Kindle for a few minutes, and they went out and bought one immediately (within a few days, maybe the same day, I'm not sure). So you shouldn't just assume that you wouldn't like a Kindle.



> It's the same thing with using .pdf files as replacements for books as course material. Sure, it's invariably cheaper, but it's not like I don't have the cash to spend on course materials, and I can seclude myself much better to study if I just have the book separately. Reading on a computer is just distracting.


I don't disagree with this at all, though. Reading on the computer and having things you need to _take home and study_ on the computer is the most annoying thing. We had some of our books online in K12, and I just kind of avoided actually looking at them because it was just too annoying. It even wanted me to read it in my browser and it was impossible to download it and it had the worst interface _ever_.

Reading on a Kindle isn't reading on a computer, though! There aren't distractions, or bright light, and you're not forced into one spot. You can carry it away and hole up somewhere just like you could with a book, so it's okay!


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